Sheet feeding mechanism



Jan. 23, 1934.v w, F, H' CK 1 1,944,711

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 12, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill Jan. 23, 1934. w. F. HUCK SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 12. 1950 s Sfieets-Sheet 2 llllllllllll w Fag; k4.

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Jan. 23, 1934. w. F. HUCK SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 12, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 dln W\\ ll .lllllll Hu llllll g; Em

INVE NI'O R Patented Jan. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM William F. Huck, Richm to R. Hoe & 00., Inc.,

0nd Hill, N. Y., assignor New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York; Irving Trust Company,

receiver Application July 12, 1930. Serial No. 467,534

18 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding sheets to a printing cylinder in proper register and is particularly applicable to printing machines used for printing from intaglio plates, in which the impression cylinders are not supplied with grippers such as are generally used on other types of sheet fed printing machines.

The especial object of the invention is to provide a feed board for a printing machine on which the sheet to be printed may be positioned in accurate register, and means to engage the sheet with the impression cylinder and feed it forward into engagement with the printing plate.

It is also an object of the invention to provide sheet feeding mechanism of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efiicient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of a portion of a plate printing machine showing mechanism comprising the preferred form of the invention and including the impression cylinder and feed board of the machine;

Figure 2 is a plan view partly in section and partly broken away showing a portion of the machine as viewed in the direction of arrow 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail view partly in section of a portion of the side of a printing machine showing one of the forward supports for the feed board, as seen in the direction of arrow 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view partly in section of another portion of the side of the machine showing one of the rear supports for the feed board as viewed in the direction of arrow 4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a modified form of the invention in which the feeding rollers and their operating mechanism are supported separately from the feed board;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the mechanism comprising the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 5, the View being taken in the direction of arrow 6 of Figure 5; and

Figure '7 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig- C3 ure 1 but showing another modification of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive which show the preferred embodiment of the invention,

11 and 11 indicate side frames of the printing (Z-'5. machine, and 12 indicates the impression cylinder which as shown is partially covered by a blanket 13, that is suitably secured to the cylinder 12. The cylinder is secured to a shaft indicated at 14, which it will be understood, is rotatably supported in suitable bearings in the side frames 11 and 11. A bed or platen 15 is arranged to move, in accordance with well known practise, on ways not shown, and a printing plate 16 is suitably clamped to the platen. In accordance with common practise, means are provided to rotate the cylinder 12 and to move the platen 15 forward in the direction of the arrow in properly timed relation with the motion of the cylinder, whereby the blanketed portion of the cylinder will cooperate with the printing plate to provide the necessary pressure for printing, and the cylinder 12 will remain stationary in the position shown in Figure 1 while the platen 15 is moved back to its initial position prior to the start of the next printing stroke.

' A feed board 17 is supported at its rearward end by studs 18 and 18 that are fitted to rotate in the arms 19 and 19 which are pivotally supported by studs 20 secured to the side frames 11 and 11.

The forward end of the feed board is supported by means of poppets 21 and 21' secured thereto which are fitted to slide on posts 22' and 22 pivoted on studs 23, secured to the side frames 11 and 11'. The posts 22 and 22- are threaded and provided with lock nuts 24 and loose collars 25 on which the pop-pets 21 and 21 rest. Brackets 26 are secured to the forward end of the feed board 1'? and are formed with arms 2'7 which are shaped to conform to the curvature of the impression cylinder 12 and support a shaft 28 on which feeding rollers 29 rotate freely. Arms 31 and 3l-are pivotally supported on the studs 32 and 32 that are secured to two of the brackets 26, one at each side of the feed board. The arms 31 and 31" are provided with studs 33 and 33, that rotatably support operating rollers 34 and 34, and springs 35 and 35 are secured to the feed board and bear on the arms 31 and 31 tending to force the rollers 34 downward as shown in Figure 1.

A means for adjusting the position of the feeding rollers 29 with respect to the impression cylinder is provided by the lock nuts 24 which may be turned to raise or lower the rollers and by screws 36 and 37 which are screw threaded respectively into poppets 38 and 39 secured to the side frames 11 and 11. By adjusting these screws, it is evident that the position of the feed board and the operating rollers 34 may be changed horizontally, and the lock nuts 41 provide means for locking it in position.

Pads, shown at 42 and 42, are secured to the top of the platen 15 at each side, in position to engage respectively, the rollers 34 and 34' as the platen is moved forward under the impression cylinder.

A sheet table 43 is provided at the rearward side of the feed board to hold the pile of sheets that is to be printed, and adjustable side register stops 44, and back stops 45 are secured to the feed board 17 by suitable fastenings. It will be understood that although not shown, suitable mechanism well known in the art is provided for inking and wiping the plate.

In operation, a sheet is placed on the feed board against the side stops 44 and the back stops 45, which are so adjusted that the sheet will be positioned with its forward edge extending over the rollers 29 as shown in Figure 1, wherein the sheet is indicated at 46.

As the cylinder 13 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the blanketed portion is brought adjacent to the rollers 29. The platen will simultaneously move forward, and when the pads 42 and 42' engage the operating rollers 34 and 34', the feeding rollers 29 will be lifted and press the sheet into engagement with the blanket on the impression cylinder. The sheet will thus be carried forward by the pull of the blanket, the rollers 29 rotating freely under it. Further rotation of the cylinder 12 and further forward motion of the platen 15 will result in pressing the sheet between the blanket and the printing plate 16, thereby printing the sheet. It will thus be understood that the sheet feeding mechanism acts to take the sheet from the feed board and carry it forward to the point where its leading edge is nipped between the blanket and the plate, and with the register stops on the feed board properly positioned accurate register in the printing will be obtained. It will be noted that the springs 35 provide a degree of flexibility in the pressure of the rollers 29 against the sheet.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, the machine frames are indicated at 111 and 111', the impression cylinder at 112, the blanket secured thereto at 113, and the cylinder shaft at 114. The platen is shown at 115 and the printing plate at 116. The feed board 117, instead of being supported on pivots is herein shown rigidly fastened to brackets 118, secured to the frame 111. Fingers 127 are secured to a shaft 128 and feeding rollers 129 are interposed between the fingers and arranged to rotate freely on the shaft. The shaft 128 is secured at its ends to arms 130 and 130 pivoted on studs 132 and 132', secured respectively to frames 111 and 111'. Other arms 131 and 131' are also pivoted on the studs 132 and 132 and carry studs 133 and 133' which rotatably support operating rollers 134 and 134'. The arms 131 and 131 are provided with lugs 135 and 136. The lugs 135 are adapted to engage with stops 137 secured to the side frames, and the lugs 136 are engaged by flexible strips 138, secured to the arms 130 and 130'. The

operating rollers are arranged to engage with the pads 142 and 142 secured to the platen 115.

With this modified form of the invention, when the pads on the platen engage the operating rollers 134 and 134 they raise the arms 131 and 131'. This action results in lifting the arms 130 and 130' and pressing the feeding rollers 129 into engagement with the sheet indicated at 146, and pressing it against the blanket 113 which will then be brought into the engaging position. It will be noted that in this embodiment of the invention, the feed board is not raised.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 7, the feed board is arranged in a manner similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 4, but the forward end of the feed board is spring supported and the operating rollers and the pads which they engage are omitted. In this view, the impression cylinder blanket is indicated at 213, the platen at 215, the plate at 216, and the feed board at 217. It willbe understood that the rear end of the feed board is supported in a man-'v ner similar to that shownin Figure 1. The forward end is supported by means of poppets 221, secured thereto which are fitted to slide on posts 222, pivoted on studs 223, secured to the side frames. Posts 222 are threaded and provided with lock nuts 224 and springs 225. Arms 227 are arranged similarly to the corresponding parts shown in Figure 2, and support a shaft 228 on which feeding rollers 229 rotate freely. In this form of the invention, rollers 229 act to press the sheet indicated at 246, against the blanket 213 when the impression cylinder is rotated, and the spring 225 provides the necessary resiliency in the pressure to insure proper cooperation of the rollers and the blanket to effect the feeding of the sheet. While this is a simplified form of the device, it has been found preferable to use one of the other forms of the invention herein disclosed.

What I claim is:

1. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support with a printing plate thereon, an impression cylinder, and a feeding roller adapted to cooperate with the impression cylinder to take a sheet and feedit forward to engage with the plate.

2. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support with a printing plate thereon, an impression cylinder, a feeding roller adapted to cooperate with the impression cylinder to take a sheet and feed it forward to engage with the plate, and means on the support to elfect cooperation of the said roller with the impression cylinder.

3. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support with a printing plate thereon, an impression cylinder, a feeding roller adapted to cooperate with the impression cylinder to take a sheet and feed it forward to engage with the plate, and means operatably connected to the support for effecting cooperation of the feeding roller with the impression cylinder.

4. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support with a printing plate thereon, an impression cylinder, a member supporting a feeding roller movable to cooperate with the impression cylinder to take a sheet and feed it forward to engage with the plate, and means on the support to effect the cooperative movement of said roller.

5. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support, a printing plate secured to the support, an impression cylinder, a feed board, and means on the feed board adapted to cooperate with the impression cylinder to take a sheet and forward it into engagement with the plate.

6. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support, a printing plate secured to the support, an impression cylinder, a feed board, and a feeding roller on the feed board adapted to cooperate with the impression cylinder to take a sheet and feed it forward to engage with the plate.

7. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support, a printing plate secured to the support, an impression cylinder, a pivotally supported feed board, and a roller secured to the feed board adapted to cooperate with the impression cylinder to forward a sheet into engagement with the plate.

8. In a plate printing machine, a printing plate on a traveling bed, an impression cylinder, a pivotally supported feed board, a feeding roller secured to the feed board and adapted to cooperate with the impression cylinder to take a sheet, and means secured to the feed board adapted to cooperate with means on the bed to engage the roller with the impression cylinder.

9. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support, an impression cylinder, a feed board having one end supported adjacent to the impression cylinder and movable toward said cylinder, a roller on the feed board adapted to cooperate with the cylinder to take a sheet, and means to move the feed board to effect cooperation of the roller with the cylinder.

10. In a plate printing machine, an impression cylinder, a printing plate on a movable support adapted to move the plate into printing relation with the cylinder, a feed board having one of its sides supported adjacent to the impression cylinder and movable toward said cylinder, a roller on the feed board adapted to cooperate with the cylinder to forward a sheet, and means on the support adapted to move the feed board to effect cooperation of the roller with the cylinder.

11. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support, an impression cylinder, a fee-d board having one of its sides adjacent the impression cylinder and movable toward said cylinder, a feeding roller on the feed board adapted to cooperate with the cylinder to forward a sheet, an operating roller resiliently supported on the feed board, and means on the support adapted to engage the operating roller to effect cooperation of the feeding roller with the impression cylinder.

12. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support, an impression cylinder, 2. feed board having one of its sides adjacent the impression cylinder and movable toward said cylinder, a feeding roller on the feed board adapted to cooperate with the cylinder to forward a sheet, an operating roller resiliently supported on the feed board, an inclined surface on the support adapted to engage with the operating roller to move the feed board into position where the feeding roller will cooperate with the cylinder to feed a sheet.

13. In a plate printing machine, a moving plate support, an impression cylinder, 9. feed board having one of its sides adjacent the impression cylinder, a feeding roller on the adjacent end of the feed board, pivotal supports for the opposite ends of the feed board, and means to move the feed board and thereby move the roller into position to cooperate with the impression cylinder to feed a sheet.

14. In a plate printing machine, a traveling plate support, a printing plate secured to the support, an impression cylinder, a feed board having a forward edge in proximity to the impression cylinder, a feeding roller movably supported adjacent to the impression cylinder and the forward edge of the feed board, and means adapted to move the feeding roller into nipping engagement with the impression cylinder to take a sheet therebetween when the plate support approaches the impression cylinder.

15. In a plate printing machine, a traveling plate support, a printing plate secured to the support, an impression cylinder, a feed board having a forward edge in proximity to the impression cylinder, a feeding roller movably supported adjacent to the impression cylinder and the forward edge of the feed board, and means moving with the plate support adapted to move the feeding roller toward the impression cylinder to engage a sheet between them. I

16. In a plate printing machine, a travelingplate support, a printing plate secured to the support, an impression cylinder, a feed board having a forward edge in proximity to the impression cylinder, a shaft adjacent to the impression cylinder and the forward edge of the feed board, a feeding roller rotatable on the shaft, and means moving with the plate support adapted to move the feeding roller toward the impression cylinder to engage a sheet between them.

1'7. In a plate printing machine, a traveling plate support, a printing plate secured to the support, an impression cylinder, a feed board having a forward edge in proximity to the im-. pression cylinder, a shaft adjacent to the impression cylinder and the, forward edge of the feed board, a plurality of fingers secured to the shaft and shaped to conform with the periphery of the cylinder, a plurality of feeding rollers interposed between the fingers and rotatable on the shaft, and means moving with the plate support adapted to move the feeding rollers toward the impression cylinder to engage a sheet between them.

18. In a printing machine having a printing plate on a traveling bed, an impression cylinder, a blanket securedto the impression cylinder and partially covering its peripheral surface, and a feed board positioned to feed a sheet to the under side of the impression cylinder; the combination with a feeding roller arranged to hold a sheet adjacent the cylinder and in position to be engaged by the blanket and thereby forwarded into engagement with the plate.

WILLIAM F. HUCK. *46 

